


All The Pictures Have Been Burned... (Of The Past)

by T_Sauce



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Based off Demi Lovato's Don't Forget, F/F, I'm so sorry, The main relationship in this is Alex and Kara and their sisterly bond, Warnings of blood, not Kalex, this is angsty, warnings for pain, warnings for self scratching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-10-30 02:22:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10867029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/T_Sauce/pseuds/T_Sauce
Summary: Alex is everything to Kara. He big sister is her hero, and Kara would do anything to protect her, including sacrificing her own happiness to ensure her sister is safe.But when CADMUS does something terrible, meaning Kara has to protect her sister by doing the worst thing imaginable, how can she live with herself?Note: Angst, but NO character death.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I apologise in advance for this, but it was in my head and wouldn't leave me alone. Possible TRIGGER WARNING: I'd like to reiterate nobody dies but there is descriptions of mild self harm and blood issue.

Kara was sitting in the DEO on the floor of the training room by herself. Wearing her Supergirl suit, she had unintentionally twisted her cape up in her hands and was pulling the material through her fingers absentmindedly as the hand on the clock on the adjacent wall ticked by. She looked over at it with a glare so strong the heat vision should have burned a whole through the damn thing – and she would have done, had the Kryptonite sensors in the room not been turned up so high, her superhuman senses were dampened to the point they were practically non-existent. Despite the lack of super powers, Kara could still hear the infernal thing ticking.

 

Apparently her hearing when basically ‘ _human_ ’ was better than she thought it was.

 

The crest on her suit was mocking her.

 

_El Mayara..._

_‘Stronger Together’_

 

That seemed like a poor case of irony to the blonde as she sat there, on the floor, back against the wall, her knees pulled up to her chest. She felt tears building as the seconds ticked by.

 

It had been three weeks since CADMUS had taken Alex. Just swooped in and snatched her out of thin air during a routine operation. It was so boringly routine Supergirl hadn’t even been needed, and Kara had spent the evening on a _‘date’_ with Lena. She wasn’t sure when their lunches in their respective offices and brunch dates at restaurants on the good side of town on Saturdays had become actual dates, but Kara had certainly not been complaining about the step forwards in their relationship. Especially when Lena had leaned forward a few weeks before the abduction and pressed her lips to Kara’s in a soft yet perfect kiss. It hadn’t taken Kara very long to return the kiss, and the smile Lena had worn when she had gently parted their lips was the realest smile Kara had ever seen on the CEO.

 

Of course, that had been before Alex had been taken. Now, Kara had only seen Lena twice in the three weeks – each one had been short with one-sided conversation - and every text off Lena asking Kara if she was okay or if she herself had done something wrong made a white hot jolt of guilt pass through the blonde. Not only did she feel guilty for not being there with her team when Alex was taken, but she also felt guilty for being abrupt and dismissive towards Lena, especially as she was being so kind and considerate.

 

But telling Lena that Alex had been taken, would mean explaining Supergirl, and Kara wasn’t sure if Lena was ready to hear that. It was one thing for Lena to know Kara, and to know Supergirl and their individual involvement in bringing down CADMUS (what with the articles and reporter leads, and of course the... punching), but an entirely another one to know they were both the same person both trying to manipulate her. Maybe manipulate was the wrong word, but maybe realising your two friends in National City being the same person but using their two identities to try and get you to do the right thing may be seen as a bit manipulative. It was now laughable, the thought of Lena siding with her mother - Lena wasn’t a Luthor - she cried at Marley and Me for Rao’s sake.

 

What Super Villain cried at Marley and Me? _Didn’t Super Villains supposedly drown puppies?_ The thought alone always made Kara’s blood run cold.

 

 But Kara knew she was now pushing Lena away, even if that kiss had been the most perfect thing she had ever experienced in her whole life.

 

Alex was missing, and her sister was her utmost priority and always had been. They had been through thick and thin since Kara’s arrival on Earth. They had been through Kara navigating Middle School and High School, Alex going to college in a different state and Kara having to learn to live at home in Midvale without her constant; followed by Kara going to college as well. And now even more recently, Alex coming out and falling in love with Maggie (who had been staying with Kara every day since Alex’s capture – it appeared neither of them wanted to be alone), and even through Kara’s brief, but horrendous relationship with Mon-El. 

 

The many leads they had found always turned out to be dead ends. Just two days previously, Supergirl had broken the sound barrier in her haste to get to Gotham, where they had had a ping off Alex’s tracker – which had been untraceable since the night of the attack. She had arrived at the warehouse to nothing. No Alex, no CADMUS, no clues, just nothing.

 

Kara had allowed herself five minutes to scream and cry and get all of the pain and anger out of her system before she radioed back to the DEO to tell them the bad news for the eighth time in a fortnight.

 

But yesterday they had received a message from someone within CADMUS containing coordinates of Alex’s location. J’onn had been wary, wondering why after this time they wanted Alex to be found, but Maggie and Kara – along with half the DEO had argued that a chance was still a chance, no matter how slim, or how likely the information would turn out to be fake.

 

They had told them, with no uncertain terms, that if Supergirl appeared in the sky or anywhere near their location, Agent Danvers would be killed.

 

The ticking was grating on her.

 

Kara stood up with speed that was fast even in her human state and marched over to the opposite wall, reaching up and pulling the clock off the wall and launching it at the ground with an aggression that you wouldn’t normally associate with the sunny blonde. It shattered on impact with the ground and Kara slumped back against the wall, sliding down it as she resumed her previous position – although this time with broken plastic fragments and batteries at her feet.

 

She sat in silence for an undetermined amount of time before the doors opened and James entered. It could have been minutes or hours for all she knew. There was no sound in the room except for the sound of her beating heart and the blood rushing in her ears.

 

James walked over to her cautiously and surreptitiously kicked away some of the pieces of clock as she slid down the wall next to his friend.

 

“Why is the kryptonite turned up to max in here Kara, you’re going to make yourself sick” he started cautiously.

 

“That’s the point” Kara deadpanned, “If I wait out there, I’ll take off and go and look for my sister; and I can’t risk anything else happening to her because of me. Waiting in here powerless - metaphorically and literally I guess – stops me from doing something I will regret later” she explained, monotone and almost recited, although James could see the whites of her knuckles as she clenched her fist around her cape.

 

“I’ve just received a message from Lucy” he said slowly, his heart clenching as Kara looked at him with her blue eyes pooled with tears that started to make their way down her face. He grasped her hand in what he hoped was a supportive way. “They found her Kara. J’onn and Lucy and the strike team found Alex. They’re bringing her home”

 

Kara let out a choked laugh that became a strangled sob as all the motions from the last three weeks bubbled to the surface and made an appearance.

 

James wrapped her in a hug as she let it all out. When she had calmed down, James stood and held out his hand, which Kara accepted as he pulled her to her feet.

 

“What do you say we go and meet your sister”? He grinned.

 

“I say let’s go” Kara grinned back in return.

 

...................

 

Alex lay in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors and DEO scientists, prodding and probing her when Kara arrived at her room. She stood outside and watched her sister for a few seconds. Unable to believe this was happening, Kara watched as Maggie sat on the chair as close as possible without actually mounting the bed, whispering to her sister, a small shy smile on both their faces as their eyes twinkled with happiness.

 

“She appears to be okay” Lucy said as she appeared at Kara’s side, making her jump. “You okay Supergirl”?

 

“Yeah, sorry Lucy, I didn’t hear you coming” Kara twisted her hands nervously, “I’m still recovering from the Kryptonite in the training room”

 

Lucy gave her a look but didn’t comment.

 

“She really appears to be okay”? Kara asked, turning to the Deputy Director, and her sister-in-law to be.

 

“All scans and tests her normal. Her brain MRI showed no anomalies, her blood test showed no foreign bodies or pathogens and her physical tests and x-rays showed nothing, not even a bruise to the tissue. It’s like she’s just been on holiday” Lucy explained, trying to ignore the feeling in her gut that there was something wrong with the whole scenario.

 

“That makes no sense” Kara looked at her sister through the window pensively. “It’s like they let her go, but why would they do that”?

 

“I don’t know Kara, I really don’t know. But I know your sister would want to see you” Lucy urged, smiling at the taller woman.

 

Kara nodded and pushed her way through the door, smiling at the thought of being able to hug her sister, to tell her she loved her after three weeks of not knowing if she was dead or alive.

 

And then it all went to shit.

 

The minute Kara entered the room, Alex looked up from where she was having a silent conversation with Maggie, and her smile dropped, and so did her body. Alex dropped back on to the bed, shaking in a silent fit, and then the screaming started. Maggie jumped back as the doctors ran forwards. Kara ran towards her sister, but got pushed back by the doctors as they struggled to calm Alex down. Alex screamed as she clutched at her head, shouting about Supergirl killing her. The screaming cut through Kara like a knife, and she caught Alex staring through the doctors at her, her eyes wide in terror and her body jolting in pain.

 

The doctors eventually sedated her.

 

This happened the following three times Kara entered the room, both as Kara Danvers and as Supergirl.

 

......................

 

“We think they’ve programmed a response into your sister” J’onn stated, looking at the new MRI scans they had had done on Alex after the second time she had gone into breakdown mode.

 

“CADMUS programmed my sister to fear me, why would they do this”? Kara stared at the scans of her sisters brain, not knowing what she was looking at.

 

“My guess is because they know she’s the most important person in your life, and they can’t hurt you physically. You see this here”? J’onn pointed at an area that was an apparent hive of activity, if the colours were anything to go by. “And now look at the one we took before she saw you that first time” he pointed at another one where the brain looked normal.

 

“It would appear that thoughts of you are kicking her brain into overdrive” Lucy explained, “We tried it with picture of you both as kids, and she had the same reaction. Further tests show that her pain receptors are pushed up to the max upon exposure to you as well. What’s a better way to destroy someone who’s bulletproof than from the inside and to rip away those closest to her”?

 

It went silent at Lucy’s observation.

 

“So what do we do”? Kara asked, as Winn piped up in the background.

  
“I’ve been doing some digging into CADMUS, and I can’t find anything about brain therapy, or brain conversion” he winced, “It would appear that whatever they have done, hasn’t been done before. I don’t know how we can reverse it”

 

“As much as I don’t want to, I agree with Agent Schott” J’onn sighed, “My first priority is keeping Alex safe, and you as well Kara, but I don’t know how to fix this. The brain is a tough organ, but without knowing what CADMUS has done, I can’t even attempt to fix it”

 

“It’s hurting her isn’t it, even now, even thinking of Kara is causing her pain” Lucy whispered dejectedly to J’onn.

 

“Yes” J’onn sighed, not wanting to lie to the others. “It would appear that now she has had the memory of you, which was probably triggered when you walked in to the room, the thought of you is always there”

 

“J’onn, can you not change the memories, alter them somehow to stop the pain”? Kara begged, walking over to the man she considered a father figure.

 

“All I can do is wipe her mind, it’s the only way I can think of to stop the pain,” J’onn replied, knowing at this moment they had no choice. He could still hear the screams in his mind and feel the pain Alex felt in her mind.

 

“Wipe, wipe her mind”? Lucy stammered out as Kara stopped breathing momentarily behind her.

 

“You can’t, she’s my _everything_ ” Kara breathed, “There must be something else”

 

“I...” J’onn started to reply when Agent Vasquez came running in, a splatter of blood clearly visible on her forehead.

 

“Sir, its Agent Danvers” Vasquez said, visibly shaken, “you need to come with us, we don’t know what to do...”

 

.......................

 

Alex continued screaming as her finger nails scratched down her own upper arms, causing blood to appear in the broken skin. Her nose started bleeding and Kara watched in horror as blood slowly dripped out of her sister’s right ear.

 

“Kara, it’s our only chance, the scans showed her brain is swelling and going into shut down” J’onn shouted as he stood in front of her, grasping her upper arms with his hands as Lucy and Vasquez attempted to stop Alex from harming herself any more behind him.

 

“I, I...” Kara felt her chest getting tight as she looked between J’onn and her sister, this woman acting nothing like the woman Kara knew and loved. Whatever CADMUS had done to her, this was not her strong and capable sister.

 

“Kara, you’re her family, I need you to give me permission to do this” J’onn whispered, his heart breaking, “These memories are killing her; it’s the only thing that will stop the pain”

 

“Do it” Kara whispered as she shut her eyes against the torment of emotions that welled up inside her.

 

She registered the screaming stop and opened her eyes just in time to see J’onn place his hand atop Alex’s head and she relaxed into the touch and fell backwards on the bed, seemingly asleep. She felt Lucy appear next to her, and James’ strong arms wrap around her as the two led her from the room.

 

“I’m so sorry Kara, I am so, so sorry” Lucy cried, tears falling from her own eyes as she led the broken superhero away from the scene.

 

............

 

It was a few hours later when J’onn finally appeared with Kara. She had quickly excused herself to the training room, and had spent the last few hours kicking and punching really hard things with as much power as she could to try and forget what was happening upstairs.

 

Eventually though, it had all become too much, and she had collapsed in a heap on the floor, retching onto the mats as tears burned her eyes.  She had ripped her cape off her back and launched it at the wall before she had rolled herself into foetal position on the floor, tears rolling down her face as she sobbed and convulsed, pushing away everyone who tried to help her.

 

J’onn sat on the floor next to Kara’s head and gently pulled it into his lap, stroking her hair, as he had comforted his daughters on Mars so many times.

 

“Is it done”? Kara asked in a small voice and J’onn had to force himself not to cry.

 

“It’s done” he confirmed.

 

“Oh” Kara whimpered, and then another onslaught of tears arrived. J’onn was helpless and could only sit and hold the girl he loved as much as his own daughters as she broke in front of him.

 

...................

 

Her apartment was silent. Kara couldn’t bring herself to turn on the TV. It was sister night and having the TV on without Alex didn’t feel right. After all, what if she accidently caught the new episode of Game of Thrones without Alex, Alex would never forgive her if...

 

Kara swallowed as she realised it didn’t matter anymore. Alex didn’t remember her any more. Lucy and J’onn had confirmed later that afternoon when Kara was able to get up off the floor that Alex was now okay, but to save her J’onn had had to wipe her memories of her alien sister.

 

_All of them._

 

Not just the Supergirl ones, but the Kara Danvers ones as well. It was now as though Kara had never arrived on Earth, at least from Alex’s perspective.

 

Maggie had stayed for a while once they arrived back at the apartment, but Kara had been harsh and forced her away. But not before Maggie had kissed her forehead and told her she loved her and that she was only a phone call away if she needed her.

 

Kara lay on the couch in a pair of sweatpants and Alex’s MIT sweater when a knock at the door made her sit up abruptly. She lowered her glasses and used her x-ray vision to see that Lena was stood at the door.

 

“Go away” Kara shouted, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears.

 

“Not until you talk to me Kara. Please, I did nothing wrong, please don’t shut me out, I’m still your friend” Lena begged.

 

Kara didn’t have an argument against that so got up and opened the door before walking back into the apartment, but not quite making it back to the couch before she turned around and looked at her guest.

 

“Kara, please, just tell me what I can do to help” Lena pleaded, her heart aching at the sight of the broken woman in front of her.

 

“You can’t fix everything Lena” Kara hissed, and Lena did a double take at the venom in the usually sweet blonde’s voice, “Some things are beyond your reach, some things cannot be fixed despite all the money and power in the world”

 

“Kara,” Lena said cautiously, taking a step towards the blonde, and then another as Kara didn’t move or shy away from her. “I don’t know what is happening with you, but I do know that Kara Danvers has been there for me through thick and thin, and she believed in me when nobody else did, and she is someone I care about very much, so please Kara, please don’t push me away when it’s my turn to be there for you, I want to help in any way I can, but I need you to tell me what is going on”

 

“They took my sister” Kara cried out, these words causing her to break again, and she almost fell to floor, had it not been Lena’s quick move across the space between them to catch the blonde in her arms as she sobbed into Lena’s shoulder. Lena stood there for ten minutes whilst Kara sobbed, her arms wrapping around Lena’s torso and holding the brunette, almost as if she was trying to reassure herself Lena was there, her face buried in Lena’s neck. It took Kara a few minutes to compose herself, her sobs weakening against the brunette’s body.

 

“Are you sure you want to know what’s going on”? Kara asked gently as she wiped her eyes under her glasses.

 

Lena nodded in earnest.

 

“You may want to sit down” Kara sighed, “And please forgive me for what I’m about to tell you”

 

It took about an hour, but Kara managed to explain everything. About why she had kept her secret identity a secret from Lena (to protect her – “ _you’re already a Luthor and you have enemies, I didn’t want to give you any more by making you a target_ ”), she then went on to talk about what had happened with CADMUS and then about Alex’s kidnap. By the time she got to the end of the story, Kara felt empty. He sister was gone, not physically, but was this worse?

 

Technically alive was alive, and Alex was with Maggie and she was happy and that should be enough. But the woman Kara looked up to, the woman who had been Kara’s sister for 12 years, who protected her and kept her safe; who made her laugh and was always there for her was a memory.

 

The tears didn’t come that night any more from Kara. She physically couldn’t cry any more as she sat in Lena’s arms on the couch, the sounds from outside the only thing that proved to them both the world was still turning.

 

Kara may not have cried that night, but after she fell asleep, Lena allowed herself to cry. Not only for Kara’s loss, but for the loss of her own brother – the man she looked up to, who inspired her was also gone – and she also cried at the guilt that her own mother had done this to sweet, innocent Kara.

 

To Supergirl...

 

That hadn’t been much of a surprise, but she decided that she and Kara would need to have a conversation on her secret identity another time. After all, Kara wasn’t subtle and after the whole, ‘I flew here... on a bus’ it was easy to put two and two together. But Kara was hurting, and for now, Lena would sit on the couch, and stroke her hair and whisper to her whilst she slept in the hope of offering some comfort. After all, Kara had done it plenty of times for her in the course of their friendship, and now whatever direction this appeared to be going in.

 

..................

 

The first month was hard on the alien to say the least, and Supergirl was on ‘extended vacation’, at least according to the tabloids, but Kara couldn’t do it. She couldn’t go and work with her sister as though nothing was wrong when she felt like she was being torn up inside every waking moment of the day. Kara went almost robotically about her life, from home to CatCo, and she had been avoiding the DEO like the plague for fear of having a repeat of that day in the second week post Alex’s memories. She had walked through the DEO as Kara Danvers looking for Winn to ask him about some technology for an article for CatCo, and Alex, who still recovering was on desk duty and confined to the DEO whilst she continued healing – although was still as stubborn as ever about it Kara noticed, feeling a stirring of emotion of pride at her headstrong sister - had walked past her.

 

_Alex had walked past her without even turning her head in Kara’s direction._

 

Winn had managed to grab Kara and pull her into an empty office as a panic attack took hold of Kara, and it took a phone call to Lena to talk her down to keep it at bay and remind her how to breathe.

 

After the incident, Eliza had come to stay with Alex for a while, and she split her time between Alex and Kara, but she had a job and a life in Midvale, so she had reluctantly packed her suitcase and gone home after three weeks, adamant that she would be back soon for her girls.

 

Kara had sobbed for two hours following her departure.

 

Lena had been Kara’s rock since that night at the apartment – the night Kara had admitted everything and let Lena back in to her life - and every day since then. Lena had understood why Kara had pushed her away through during those three weeks Alex had been missing and she had vowed to be there for Kara for whatever she needed from then on. The two hadn’t spent a night apart in that first month, or in the time since then. Kara wasn’t sure who had said it first, but one of those nights when they two had curled themselves around each other, one of them had whispered an ‘ _I love you’_ in the darkness. Lips had met in the dark, and for one night, Kara could forget everything else going on in her life.

 

And after that, the pain had started getting a little bit easier to deal with, as things usually do over time, although the sorrow remained and she couldn’t seem to shake it. Supergirl returned to National City, although Vasquez and Lucy were now her back up. For safety reasons, Alex was kept away from Supergirl and associated missions in case of relapse.

 

Lena and Kara had basically moved in with each other, and Maggie was often seen at CatCo having lunch with her little sister, and updating Kara on how Alex was doing.

 

But Kara had yet to actually talk to Alex, but she supposed it was inevitable that it would have to happen eventually. She had done too well at avoiding the other woman.

 

Two months after the incident, Lena and Kara walked into Noonan’s hand in hand, on a lunch date whilst they both had a slight respite from their busy schedules. Kara breathed in the smell of the cafe as Lena squeezed her hand with an easy smile pointed in her direction. Noonan’s was always a place that would calm her. When Cat had still been at CatCo in one of her particularly foul moods, the smell of coffee and cinnamon that seem engrained in the walls of the place would settle Kara’s nerves in seconds.

 

The two approached the counter to place their order when Kara’s hearing picked up an unmistakable laugh from a booth in the corner.

 

_Alex._

 

Kara froze, and slowly turned to her right to look, and saw Alex sitting with Maggie in the booth, a pile of pancakes between them. Maggie saw Kara and Lena first and also froze, she glanced between the two sister, heart and head torn between feeling heartbreak for Kara, and fear for her girlfriend in case of possible relapse respectively.

 

It didn’t take Lena long to notice Kara freeze and stop and she turned to follow Kara’s gaze, and her stomach plummeted to her feet, feeling similarly to Maggie.

 

Alex however saw the small smile Maggie managed to offer Kara, and whispered who she was smiling at.

 

“Just a friend” Maggie had replied nonchalantly, “I’ve known her for a while”

 

“A friend of yours is a friend of mine” Alex grinned, and waved at Kara and Lena to come over. Kara and Lena steeled themselves and made their way over slowly – a feat for someone with super human speed.

 

“Are you not going to introduce me”? Alex smiled seeming unaware of the tension at the table. Kara looked like she was going to throw up, and Lena and Maggie were rigid with apprehension.

 

“Of course” Maggie caught herself, “This is my friend Kara, Kara... Zor-El and this her girlfriend Lena Luthor” Maggie motioned to Kara and Lena respectively; “Lena, Kara, this is my girlfriend Alex Danvers”

 

Alex looked at Kara curiously as she heard her name said out loud but for the most part there was no reaction. There was no screaming, no fitting and no pain shown on Alex’s part and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

 

She’s not sure how she did it, but Kara took a deep breath of the soothing scent of Noonan’s and smiled, “It’s really nice to meet you Alex, I’ve heard a lot about you from Maggie” she held her hand out for Alex to shake which she did with a smile in return.

 

“Lovely to meet you Kara; Lena” Alex replied she continued as Lena then reached her hand out for a polite handshake as well.

 

The silence stretched for a few seconds before Lena grinned and feigned a look at her watch, trying to ignore the almost non-human grip on her right hand as Kara squeezed, having taken it again following her handshake with Alex.

 

“We must get going, food to order and meetings to get back to” Lena smiled with a false bravado as she saw Kara desperately try to hold it all together in her peripheral vision.

 

“Of course, well it was lovely to meet you both” Alex could sense the tension – she wasn’t a DEO agent for nothing, but chose not to comment. She could ask Maggie later what was going on with them all.

 

“And you Alex, Maggie you look after this one” Kara managed one last watery smile, before turning with Lena and made a beeline for the door. Lena wrapped her arms around her waist and she escorted the broken blonde out of the door.

 

“It’s okay Kara, I’m here, let’s get out of here” Lena whispered soothingly as the broken woman who shaking with effort at not allowing the sobs to wrack her body until they were at least back at the safety of Lena's office.

 

Neither of them noticed Alex watch them leave, wondering why they didn’t even order food, or why she suddenly had a vision of a young girl with Kara’s smile laying on the roof of her parents house in Midvale with her, laughing and staring up at the stars.

 


	2. Hope feels a lot like pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of your reviews and kudos. I couldn't bring myself to leave it at as it was, so hope this makes up for the ending of the last chapter. 
> 
> TW for attempted suicide (of sorts) so please be warned before you read.

It had been six months. Six long, arduous months since J’onn had wiped Alex’s mind to save her life, and everyone kept had just kept telling Kara it would get easier with time.

 

Except it hadn’t...

 

If Alex had been killed, although it would have been devastating, she would have wanted her to get on with her life and be a hero, which was something she could do. But Alex wasn’t dead – she just couldn’t remember her sister, which to Kara was 10000 times worse.

 

To know Alex was happy in the world with Maggie, but not be able to talk to her about her own relationship with Lena, or to ring her when she got promoted at CatCo to senior reporter. (Apparently Snapper had seen her improvement, and after a discussion with Cat Grant, had decided the best way to continue her  growth was to put her on tougher cases and write harder stories).

 

To know she lived in a world where Alex Danvers didn’t remember anything about her didn’t seem like a world worth living in to Kara Zor-El.

 

She was ashamed to admit that there may have been a few missions in that first month where she may have overexerted herself, or pushed herself to the limit in the hopes that the agony would be over. On the last time, where it looked like she was going to actually die, Kara had been fighting an alien not unlike Doomsday, and when her powers had blown, she had knelt before the creature and sighed, resigning herself to her fate. Her eyes had closed and she had thought of Alex, and of Eliza, of Lena and Winn and James, of Cat and Carter and Clark, Lucy and Jeremiah. Of J’onn and her parents and Krypton, and she had prayed that Rao would welcome her into his light and not punish her for being a coward.

 

She had awoken three days later at the DEO, Lena sobbing into her side and a sombre Lucy stood at the foot of the bed who told her that if J’onn hadn’t arrived in time, she would be dead. Maggie had been there too, and when the room had emptied she had allowed the tears to flow and she clutched at the blonde’s hand, “You’re my sister too Kara”.

 

She was signed off for two weeks, and forced to see a counsellor three times a week for the foreseeable future.

 

It had taken a few weeks, but with Lena’s love, and the help of all her friends and Eliza, it had become easier to deal with. The hardest day had been Thanksgiving, where obviously Kara had not been able to celebrate with her family. Eliza had been torn between her girls, but Kara assured her that she would be okay.

 

“After all, if you didn’t spend it with Alex, she would wonder who else you were spending it with, and we can’t risk her remembering”

 

Kara may also have gotten drunk at the Alien bar with Lucy and James that night instead of remembering the previous Thanksgiving when they were all together.

 

She had spent the actual Thanksgiving with Lucy and James, and Lois and Clark and Lena at Cat and Carter’s apartment. Since Cat had returned full time and she clearly knew about Kara being Supergirl, Kara hadn’t found it in herself to lie to her. It was hard enough lying to herself about pretending to be okay.

 

Cat had been heartbroken for her young prodigy. She knew about the connection the Danvers’ had shared. It was exhilarating to see how Kara had lit up when talking about her big sister and Cat had been able to see how much Alexandra Danvers meant to the young Superhero.

 

They had celebrated Thanksgiving at Cat’s invitation (although Kara knew that saying no was never really an option), and she left feeling lighter than she had in since before the incident.

 

She felt hopeful for the first time in months and with Lena by her side, she thought, _maybe I can get through this_.

 

...........

 

Alex woke up with a start.

 

She squirmed as she sat up, feeling the sweat run down her back as she took in her surroundings and tried to calm down and catch her breath.

 

Looking down at a still fast asleep Maggie, Alex slowly climbed out of bed and walked through to the bay windows in the dining room area. Downtown National City looked beautiful at night from the height of her apartment, and it was one of her favourite views in the world. (except for the one from Cat Grant’s office in the CatCo Worldwide Media building uptown, although try as she might Alex couldn’t remember why she had ever been there before – although she assumed it must have been for work).

 

Alex heard footsteps behind her, and tensed (a side effect of all of her Secret Agent training) until she heard a familiar sigh and she relaxed as Maggie settled behind her, wrapping her arms around Alex’s middle. Alex placed her hands over Maggie’s and turned her head to the right to look at Maggie.

 

“Did you have another dream again”? Maggie asked quietly, although in the late hour the sound appeared loud in the stillness of the apartment.

 

“Yes” Alex replied, turning in Maggie’s arms to place her forehead against her girlfriends, “It’s usually always just that faceless woman but tonight it was different, I could feel her feelings, and I can’t figure out what it means. I was back in that water tank but you weren’t the only one that saved me. You were there when the glass broke holding me, but there was someone else too and I know it was the same blonde woman from the other dreams”

 

Maggie stiffened and took a breath, “Is that all you remember”?

 

“There was something else” Alex started, then stopping as if not knowing how to phrase her next sentence, “but I know that she loved me. I could feel the relief coming off her in waves, and she hugged me close to her and said _‘I can’t imagine what I would do if I lost you_ ’”.

 

“Maybe it was the milk you drank before you went to bed” Maggie laughed, trying to squash down the feeling in her gut, because it felt a lot like hope, and she knew better – hope meant pain and despair in this situation.

 

“Maybe, you did tell me not to drink it” Alex smiled, “Shall we go back to bed”?

 

“I’ll meet you there babe, I just need to use the bathroom real quick now I’m up”

 

Maggie watched Alex go back to the bedroom, and she grabbed her phone from where it was charging in the kitchen and went into the bathroom, silently shutting the door behind her.

 

She sat on the toilet lid, and dialled a familiar number.

 

“J’onn, we have a problem”

 

.........

 

J’onn J’onzz hung up the phone in his office and sighed deeply, running his hand over his hair a couple of time to try and squash the worry he felt building up.

 

After he had wiped Alex’s mind, he had spent a very long time trying to figure out how it would be possible to assimilate Alex with Supergirl again. He couldn’t bear the thought of sending either of them to work at another branch – he knew the Director in Metropolis and he made the real Hank Henshaw look like a teddy bear.

 

The fact of the matter was it was too dangerous to even risk having Alex remember Kara / Supergirl so he figured the easiest way was to just keep them separate. Send them on entirely different operations and reassign Kara to Lucy and Vasquez.

 

It had worked.

 

Except two months ago, Supergirl had been called in on a mission in which Alex had been lead, and whilst the two exchanged very short words and Kara managed to limit their contact, Alex had been having dreams of a blonde woman in red, usually saving her life, or vice versa. Kara had been hopeful at first that her sister may remember her, but was soon reminded of the danger when Alex had begun to report the headaches that accompanied these dreams to the DEO Doctor. Whatever CADMUS had done to Alex, there was too much risk involved to see about reversing it.

 

If Alex was starting to remember, it could kill her.

 

He stood up and made his way down to the training room, maybe punching some bags would help him settle his mind to work out a solution that didn’t involve any more heartache.

 

Rao knows Kara couldn’t handle any more.

 

...........

 

Lena smiled as she heard the familiar sounds of a cape blowing in the wind behind her, and she spun around in her desk chair to see Supergirl land on her office balcony.

 

“Kara, what are you doing here”? Lena smiled as Kara walked through the balcony door, happy to see her girlfriend regardless of the reason, then a thought occurred to her, “My mother and brother haven’t broken out of prison have they”?

 

Kara laughed as she walked over to where Lena was now standing up and she greeted her with a chaste but loving kiss.

 

“No, they are locked down, Clark is keeping a close eye on that” Kara perched on the edge of Lena’s desk, pulling Lena to stand in between her legs and resting her hands gently on Lena’s waist as Lena ran her fingers through Kara’s blonde waves lovingly.

 

“I’m happy to see you regardless” Lena breathed and smiled as she saw Kara light up with a smile, the kind that had only been reserved for Lena lately.

 

“Well, there is a reason for my visit” Kara replied, “I got home to my apartment, and there was no one there”

 

“Weird” Lena raised an eyebrow, a small smirk appearing on her face.

 

“I know, and I’m pretty sure that by this time of night, even the fabulous Lena Luthor should be home from work by now, so thought I’d come and offer you a lift home”?

 

“I didn’t even realise it was so late” Lena sighed, looking at the clock on her wall which read 22:30.

 

“Well, now you have me to ensure you leave at a decent time” Kara grinned and leaned up to capture Lena’s lips in a kiss which soon developed into a slightly more passionate one and Kara’s hand made their way to Lena’s ass, and Lena cupped Kara’s face, slipping her tongue past Kara’s parted lips.

 

A knock at the door, followed by it opening startled them and Lena stepped back, smoothing her dress and wiping at her lipstick as Jess entered holding a folder of paperwork.

 

“Jess, why are you still here”? Lena asked, clearing her throat and attempted to act like she hadn’t just been making out with Supergirl whilst dating Kara Danvers – the same Kara who Jess went for lunch with every now and then, so definitely knew they were dating.

 

“I wanted to get all of the details for next week’s charity dinner finalised for you as I have to leave early tomorrow so don’t want to be rushed to get things done on time,” Jess explained as she walked over to place the folder on Lena’s desk.

 

“Thank you Jess, and I assure you this isn’t what it looks like at all” Lena tried to explain, suddenly very conscious that she viewed Jess as a friend and wouldn’t want her to think less of her.

 

“You weren’t just making out with Supergirl on your desk then Miss Luthor”? Jess deadpanned.

 

“Uhm, well”... Lena spluttered as she tried to figure out what to say.

 

“I guess that’s exactly what it is” Kara replied as she stood next to Lena, looking equally as sheepish. Internally panicking, Kara remembered everything Alex had ever said to her about people knowing her secret as she debated with listening to Alex, or telling the truth and risking everything.

 

“Don’t worry Miss Luthor, I won’t say a word” Jess said, and she turned around to leave, and Lena felt herself drop as she realised she may have lost the respect of the best assistant she had ever had.

 

As she turned to leave Jess had seen Lena deflate and saw the flash of panic and hurt flash in her eyes just before she looked at the floor to avoid eye contact, and so Jess had a split second debate with herself. She could upset Lena by pretending to lie about what she knew and leave the room with the younger woman thinking she had upset a friend / colleague, or tell the truth and deal with the consequences later – ultimately, the thought of upsetting her boss, the most caring, genuine woman Jess knew won out.

 

“Oh, and Kara,” Jess said as she turned around and smiled brightly at the both of them before directing her gaze on Supergirl, “Don’t forget our lunch date on Thursday”

 

This had both of them floundering and spluttering like idiots.

 

“How did you know”? Kara burst out, raising and dropping her hands in defeat.

 

“Honestly”? Jess asked, continuing when they both nodded, “glasses aren’t the best disguise in the world Kara, and Miss Luthor loves you too much to cheat on you, but just so you know, your secret is safe with me, I promise, but I’ll deal with whatever the consequences are”

 

Lena and Kara shared a look and Jess gulped – surely there must be some consequences to knowing about a Superhero Alien’s alter ego, so she was very surprised at what happened next.

 

“Go home Jess, and take tomorrow off. I know you were leaving early for your anniversary dinner with Jacob, so have the whole day – I’ll clear it with payroll, you deserve it” Lena smiled, and Jess was once again hit with a wave of pride and gratitude that she worked for this amazing woman.

 

“Thank you Miss Luthor” Jess turned and left the office, hearing Lena say to Kara it was time for them to go home too, and could they fly?  This was the weirdest evening of Jess’ life.

 

(And if there had been a significant increase in her pay the following month, Lena had simply raised an eyebrow at her and said she didn’t know what she was talking about, but any pay rise was well deserved, duly overdue and granted with great thanks).

 

Following the conversation with Jess, Kara had flown Lena home, and feeling lighter than she had in months, the two had spent the night wrapped in each other, soft moans filling the apartment, followed by giggles and hushed whispers as Kara felt for the first time since losing Alex, everything could be okay.

 

Then it all went to shit.

 

..........

 

It was supposed to be routine, a routine evacuation at a building in which a fire had broken out under _mysterious circumstances_ , but then there had been a gas explosion whilst Alex had gone back in to do one last check for signs of life as the other DEO agents set up a triage to treat anybody who had been hurt.

 

The bomb had affected the foundation and as the building started to collapse, Alex ran for the roof in the hopes she could jump with the use of the built in grappling hook on her belt, before the concrete she was stood on touched the ground.

 

Broken limbs were better than death.

 

As the stairs fell away under her feet, Alex Danvers battled her way up the final flight and burst through the door that opened up on the roof of the sixteen story building. The edge of the building was 100 yards away, cracks appearing underfoot with each stride she took.

 

She ran as her legs cramped and her lungs ached, but she was Alex Danvers, she would not give up, Maggie was waiting for her.

 

She reached the edge of the building, and jumped...

 

.............

 

Kara always had senses tuned in to Alex’s heartbeat. Just because they weren’t close anymore, Alex was still her sister and she would always protect her from danger.

 

She had been sat in the DEO, Alex had been out on a simple recovery mission – the alien they had been tracking seemingly starting fires from his skin; although the tests Winn had been doing suggested this was a response to fear as opposed to anything malicious – when her heartbeat had raised to a critical beat.

 

Kara had been in the air seconds before the call came over the radio.

 

“Supergirl, Alex needs you” J’onn had stated into his earpiece, as she stood on the ground outside the building and held Lucy back from running inside after their colleague, his own heart beating rapidly inside his chest and he sent up a prayer to Rao that Kara could get to them in time.

 

Kara flew faster than she ever had in her life, possibly shattering some glass in the buildings she flew past as she broke the sound barrier.

 

As she approached the scene, she used her X-Ray vision to scan for her sister, and saw Alex on the roof, running up the rapidly destabilising structure, and then jump into nothing. The button for the grappling hook was deployed, but nothing happened.

 

Kara swooped down and grabbed Alex under the arms as she had done as children hundreds of times before, and although she found it weird Alex didn’t flinch, considering in her mind, it had never happened before, Kara didn’t comment.

 

J’onn and Lucy let out the breath they had been holding as a blur of red and blue dropped down and caught the falling figure as the building came down in front of them, and Kara gently landed 10 feet away from them and set Alex on the ground beside her.

 

“Thank you Supergirl, you just saved my life” Alex conveyed her gratitude as she looked at her saviour properly for the first time. Despite working with Supergirl before, the blonde had a way of keeping herself at a distance and never getting too close, this was the first time the two had every touched or held eye contact, and it felt like everything had lead to this moment, despite not even realising it was coming.

 

This felt important.

 

Alex just couldn’t remember why.

 

“You’re welcome Alex, that’s what I’m here for” Supergirl laughed, and then Alex felt like she was slammed into a wall.

 

The world started spinning in front of her, and she took a step back and she tried to steady herself. Her hands moved up to her head as black and white spots danced in her vision and her head started thumping. She felt arms grasp at her from all angles and she thought she heard Lucy shout her name as her vision continues to swirl, and then the world around her faded out as visions danced in her brain.

 

The woman in front of her, only younger; was lying on the roof outside of her bedroom in Midvale, both of them looking at the stars.

 

The woman in front of her, climbing into her bed and holding her and wiping her tears as she mourned the loss of her dad.

 

The woman in front of her baking Alex a celebratory cake when she got into college, only it took her 14 attempts before one was edible.

 

The woman in front of her had given up her chocolate caramel ice cream during a Netflix Orphan Black marathon because Alex had run out of her own.

 

The woman in front of her had saved the plane she had been on and become Supergirl.

 

Supergirl had burst through the glass in the water tank, reuniting her with Maggie and her family.

 

Supergirl had pushed Fort Rozz into space, sacrificing herself to save everyone on the planet.

 

Alex had flown after her in a pod and nudged her back to Earth, saving her life.

 

Supergirl had pushed back against the spaceship carrying Alex, refusing to give up, refusing to let her disappear.

 

Supergirl had sat on her sofa as she came out to her, and she had cried on her shoulder over Maggie when she was rejected by her.

 

Supergirl was there in the bar celebrating when she and Maggie finally got together. But no, it wasn’t Supergirl; this girl didn’t have a cape. This was someone else, this was...

 

“ _Kara_ ” Alex breathed as her vision came back into focus and she could see the Kryptonian in front of her, fear evident on her face.

 

“Kara”... and everything went black....

 

.............

 

After Alex collapsed, the DEO Medical team had run in and grabbed Alex’s unconscious form Lucy barking orders at them as they loaded her into a van and drove away.

 

Kara stood frozen.

 

What did this mean?

 

“I don’t know” J’onn replied softly, taking Kara’s hand, “but we will figure it out together”

 

“El Mayarah” Kara whispered softly.

 

Kara had felt hope a few times over the last few months. When Lena told her she loved her for the first time; when Cat had given her one of her articles framed and congratulated her on her best piece yet; when Eliza had rung her to tell her she had been promoted to Chief od Surgery at the hospital she worked at in Midvale; when Jess had revealed she knew and conveyed her loyalty to both Kara and Lena; when Lucy announced she and James were getting married and when Winn had found love with Lyra.

 

But hope was often taken away, such as the time Maggie had informed them that Alex was having dreams about a blonde dressed in red saving her. Kara had let herself get her hopes up that Alex was starting to remember, and then the Doctor had told them about the headaches Alex was having following these dreams and Kara remembered the truth.

 

_Alex could die if she remembered._

 

And all of a sudden, the hope didn’t seem worth it any more.

 

..................

 

Kara sat against the wall in the janitors closet next to the medical ward of the DEO. She had decided not to sit around and wait where everyone could see her. She had been here before, and she couldn’t handle their looks of pity when it was revealed nothing had changed, Alex was still in the dark.

 

This being said, she couldn’t bring herself to leave; not until she knew Alex was okay and awake.

 

Maggie had been called and had been ushered off to Alex’s bedside as soon as she arrived, and Kara was glad Alex wasn’t alone. Maggie was good for Alex and her sister was so happy around the smaller woman, even if Kara couldn’t share in it with her.

 

Kara wiped a tear as she sat in the silence. Self pity wasn’t going to help anyone.

 

The door opened, flooding the room with light and Lena stepped in, shutting it quietly behind her. She took off her heels and settled herself on the floor next to Kara, linking their fingers in support.

 

“Lucy called me” she offered in way of explanation.

 

“Thank you for coming” Kara whispered, full of gratitude that she wasn’t alone.

 

She was fed up of being alone.

 

But now she had Lena Luthor, and Lena had decided the day she learnt the truth about her blonde friend, the day she had learnt she was an alien, and learnt she had lost everything once, and now she had lost everything again – she would not lose anything again.

 

Lena prayed she would be able to keep her promise.

 

..............

 

Both women lost track of how long they had sat on the floor in silence before Lucy had gently knocked and asked Kara if she could come out for a minute.

 

“There’s something you need to see Kara” and Lucy had smiled, and Lena allowed herself to feel hope for her girlfriend again.

 

Lena and Kara followed Lucy down the corridor and into the medical wing. Kara was gripping Lena’s hand with a little more force than she usually would, and despite the fact that she had decided getting her hopes up would only break her again when they turned out to be useless, she found her heart beating quicker than it usually would none-the-less. They stopped outside of Alex’s door and J’onn was stood outside with Maggie, Winn and James, all of them smiling, although Maggie was crying as well.

 

“When I said there’s something you need to see, what I meant was, there’s someone that wants to see you” Lucy said, tears shining in her eyes, and she opened the door...

 

.........

 

When Krypton had died, Kara had lost everything she cared about, lost everyone she loved,  yet she remained optimistic. Her parents had sent here for a reason, and maybe Kal had grown up and become Superman and not needed her anymore, but she had purpose.

 

Even before Supergirl she had purpose, and Alex had helped to teach her that purpose, helped to nurture it, and helped her to not be afraid.

 

Kara rarely felt fear for herself. The humans around her, she felt fear for all the time, they weren’t bulletproof like she was. But in this moment, as her legs – which felt like they were made of lead – walked her through the open door into Alex’s room in the medical wing of the DEO, Kara had never felt fear like it.

 

Taking a deep breath, Kara looked up and saw Alex sat on the edge of the bed wearing a pair of scrubs and a bandage over her arm where she had been hit with some debris when the building collapsed.

 

“Kara” Alex whispered, much like she had done at the building collapse, but this time, she stood up and walked over to the blonde. It took Kara a split second the notice the recognition in Alex’s eyes, but before she could react, Alex had wrapped her arms around her in a fierce hug.

 

“I’m so sorry Kara” Alex whispered, “I’m so sorry”.

 

Kara broke.

 

Tears flowed down her face and sobs wracked her body as she and Alex sank to the floor, registering the sobs she felt from Alex as well. They knelt on the floor in front of each other entwined in a hug for an age before they finally broke apart.

 

“I’m so sorry Kara” Alex whispered again,

  
“What have you got to be sorry for”? Kara whispered back, hands grasping at Alex’s upper arms, unwilling to let go just yet.

 

“I forgot you” Alex looked heartbroken and ashamed, and Kara’s heart broke again as she continued, “I forgot my sister, and spent the last six months ignoring you. I can’t imagine how that could have felt, I let you down”

 

“You could never let me down Alex, I let you down” Kara cried, still slightly unwilling to admit this was actually happening.

 

“I promised I’d always protect you, and I’m the one that caused you pain”

 

Alex trailed off. J’onn had told her he had had to wipe her mind six months ago to save her life. She had spent six months ignoring Kara, not knowing who she was, living her life whilst leaving her sister – her best friend – behind. These six months had apparently taken a toll; J’onn had filled her in on the minimum, although Maggie had mentioned the suicide attempt and Alex had felt her heart break, although looking into her sisters eyes in this moment, she knew exactly how Kara must have felt; because she knew that if it had been reversed, it would have probably killed her.

 

“It wasn’t your fault Alex, CADMUS did something to you” Kara sniffed, trying to compose herself.

 

“Shall we just say it was neither of our faults then”? Alex smiled. Kara nodded and smiled back, Alex was the ever reasonable big sister, and although they both knew the scars of this would take a long time to heal, this was a start.

 

...........

 

Three days later, Alex was released from DEO Medical Care under strict instructions that if she felt any headaches or weird side effects, she was to report back immediately.

 

It had appeared that Kara saving her had reignited her brain and overpowered the mind alteration bringing the happy memories – the true memories - she had associated with Supergirl / Kara back to the forefront, the evil ones that CADMUS planted in her brain being destroyed as the endorphins overpowered them as warmth and happiness filled her whole body.

 

“You were saved by hope” J’onn had laughed, “Suck on that Lillian Luthor”

 

Eliza had flown in the previous day following a conversation with Kara, and promptly burst into tears as she walked into Alex’s room and saw Kara laying next to Alex on the bed with her head on her chest unwilling to let her go just yet for fear she would wake up and this would all be a dream.

 

Eventually, Kara was forced to go home and get some proper rest and Lena had been there to convince her it was real, that leaving the DEO wouldn’t make this go away. She had saved Alex, and Lena supposed to herself, Alex had saved Kara as well.

 

The night before Alex was released from hospital, Lena had been sat in Kara’s apartment at the kitchen island, working on something for L Corp on her laptop, paperwork spread out across the countertop. Kara had stood in the doorway of her bedroom for a few minutes simply watching the CEO work in a peaceful contentment.

 

Kara couldn’t count the number of times these past six months, and even before that, that Lena hadn’t been there for her at a moment’s notice. Lena had held her when she cried, provided company when it was the last thing she wanted, but the only thing she needed, and she had listened and provided comfort when Kara wanted the world to take her into the darkness, Lena had managed to keep Kara in Rao’s light.

 

Kara made a decision.

 

She patted her pocket, and then walked over to Lena, her fluffy socks providing good padding against the cold wood. Wrapping her arms around Lena from behind, Kara leant down and pressed a kiss against Lena’s neck. Lena smiled and turned around so she was facing the blonde.

 

“Lena, I just wanted to say something” Kara started, taking a deep breath, “I love you”

 

“I love you too Kara, more than anything” Lena replied, grasping Kara’s hands in her own.

 

“That’s what I mean Lena, I love you more than _anything_ too. When I lost Krypton, I lost my world, I was thirteen and I lost my parents, and I didn’t think I could ever love anything again. Then I came to Earth, and I met the Danvers’, and then I lost Jeremiah, and I lost a little bit of faith in the world that I could lose another parent so soon after finding a new family. But I loved Alex and Eliza, and they got me through it, we got each other through it. And then six months ago, I lost Alex and it felt like I’d lost my world all over again, and I didn’t think I’d ever love anything again, that I couldn’t love anything more than I loved Alex and Krypton and my parents. But there you were. You wouldn’t let me wallow, you wouldn’t let me give in and you made me happy. When there was nothing left for me to love, you made me fall in love with you, and I think that is what it means to be a hero, not giving in when it gets tough. But Lena, I think that makes you a hero, that’s what makes you my hero”

 

Kara took a deep breath and got down on one knee, and Lena let out a gasp of surprise as Kara continued, “you deserve this to be the most romantic thing in the world, and even though I did not plan this to be this way, I’m done waiting. I love you more than I have loved anything, and I want to show everyone how much so”

 

Kara took the package out of her pocket and opened it, revealing a rose gold bracelet entwined with blue sapphires.

 

“Yes” Lena breathed,

  
“But I didn’t ask you yet”? Kara laughed, “This is a Kryptonese marriage bracelet. Kryptonian’s used to exchange them during the ceremony, but I want you to have all of me, Kara Zor-El, Kara Danvers and Supergirl, and this is a little bit of home. They were my parents’; no other couple was allowed to wear bracelets of the same design or colour, so these are unique to the House of El. So Lena Luthor, will you marry me”?

 

“Yes, always yes” Lena smiled through the tears, and Kara wrapped her into a hug, floating them two feet off the floor, spinning in circles as they kissed.

 

...............

 

Following her release, Lucy had demanded a family night at the Alien Bar, and everyone had been quick to comply. Alex watched contentedly as Maggie attempted to teach Winn to play pool, J’onn was watching pointing out everything Winn was doing wrong good naturedly, with Vasquez and Lena’s assistant Jess – who had apparently been let in on Kara’s secret – chatting with Eliza and Cat Grant of all people about Christmas (which was about two weeks away, and apparently Cat and Kara had become good friends in the last six months. Cat had just invited them all over on Christmas Eve for a party). James and Lucy sat opposite her, discussing something about buying a house in National City.

 

Kara and Lena walked back over from the bar with their drinks and they took their seats next to each other at the table, Kara in between Alex and Lena – she was still getting used to the fact she had her sister back, and wasn’t willing to let go just yet. Alex smiled at her sister and Lena, apparently Lena had looked after Kara whilst everything was going on, and that was more than enough for Alex to trust her. Lena was one of the family now.

 

“Hey guys, can you come over here a second please”? Kara asked, “I have something to tell you”

 

Winn, Maggie and J’onn wandered back from the pool table, and Vasquez, Eliza, Cat and Jess finished their conversation and turned to Kara.

 

With all the attention on her, Kara grinned and held out her glass in a toast, “I’d just like to raise a glass to the fact that I am here with my family, all of you are my family and these last six months have demonstrated that to me. I have my sister back in my life, and one of the reasons I am here to celebrate that, is thanks to this beautiful woman sitting next to me...”

 

Alex raised an eyebrow at that.

 

“... and so last night, I asked Lena to marry me, and she said yes” Kara exclaimed excitedly as Lena held out her wrist to show the Kryptonian bracelet, and Kara held out her hand to show the ring Lena had bought her that day (‘ _If I’m wearing one, you’re wearing one Kara Zor-El, I want everyone to know you’re the woman I love’)._

 

Amongst all the cries of congratulations and the tears of happiness (from Winn), there was a shout of, “You’re dating Lena Luthor?!”

 

Apparently the Danvers sisters had a lot of catching up to do.

 

A lot can happen in six months.

**Author's Note:**

> I was originally going to have this as Kara and Lena leaving Noonan's, with Alex shrugging and going back to her conversation with Maggie, but I couldn't even bring myself not to leave you all with some hope that it will all work out. I broke my own heart writing this... I'm so sorry...


End file.
